Combined clamp and wheel-guard for farm-wagons



L. P. WELLS.

COMBINED CLAMP AND WHEEL GUARD FOR FARM WAGONS.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 2.1919.

1,853,940, Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

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,4 TTORNE rs citizen of UNITED srA s PATENT; OFFICE.

LEVI P. warms, or; GER-ING; NEBRASKA."

COMBINED, CLAMP AND wisest-GUARD FOR FARM-WAGONS. y l

To all whom it may concern: I

Be itknown that I, Lnvr P. ,VELLS, a the United States, and a resident of Gering, in the county of Scotts Bluff and State of Nebraska, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Clam'ps'and Wheel-Guards for FarmlVagons, of which the following is a specification. j

My invention relates generally to iInprovements in farm wagons, it relating more particularly to combined clamps for the wagon box sides and guards for the bottoms of such wagons, and it consistsin the constructions, combinations and arrangements herein described and claimed.

The foremost object of my invention is'to provide a device for keeping the front wheels of the farm'wagon from wearing holes in the adjacent corners of the wagon boxin making turns, this device being in the nature of a metallic guard to be applied totthe place where the wear usually comes, it at the same time including a clamp for holding the upper board of the wagon box side down.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combined guard and clamp, both of which, while serving independent ,pur poses, .niutuallycooperates-as to practically constitute one appliance.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a farm wagon illustrating the application of the .1

' 38 applied.

invention,

Fig. 2 is a detail cross section showing the combined guard and clamp in place,

Fig. 3 is a perspetive view of the improved guard, and

Fig. 4 is a plan view of the metal blank, showing the lines on which the blank is bent to form the improved guard. v

Before proceeding with the description of the invention, it is thought well to briefly describe the objections which the invention seeks to overcome. It is common knowledge that the front wheels of farm wagons wear holes in the adjacent edges of the wagon box. This wearing action takes place in making curves, at which times. one or the other of the front wheels engages the edge of the wagon box and grinds the wood away.

It has been sought to overcome this evil Specification of Letters Patent. 7 Application mediall 2, 191a.

. horizontal clamp head 7,

.keeps the nut from Serial No. 308,141.

by applying guards of various kinds, some of which are in the nature of iron pieces which extend across and are intended to intercept the edge or rim of the wheel on each side, so as to prevent the wearing of the wood. Some of the guards now in use are so heavy as to make their universal use prohibitive. Generally, the guards now in use are objectionable in one way or another, and it is to overcome all present objections, that I have produced simple guard illustrated A piece of metal 1 is of a wheel guard and is applied to the edge of the wagon box 2 at the place where the in the drawing.

Patented Sept. 28, 1920.

the comparatively bent into the shape I wear of the front wheel 3 comes, when a i turn is made. Although the guard may be cast into the shape shown, it is preferably made of spring steel, or sheet metal of such a nature that the guard will be of harder material than that of which the tire of the wheel 3 is made. 7

Referring to Fig. 4, it is to be observed that a substantially square piece 1 is employed. This piece is folded diagonally across along the line 2, then folded. back upon itself along the line 3, then bent up wardly along the line 4 so as to produce the vertical side 5 of the guard, then folded out wardly along the line 6 so as to produce the and finally is bent down along the line 8 so as to produce the retaining lips orlugs 9.

A notch 10 is cut in from the front point of the sheet metal blank 1, that is to say, from the point which from the'side of the wagon when the guard This notch receives the lower end of the clamp rod 11. This end is threaded so as to receive the wing nut 12. The lips or lugs 9 prevent the wing nut from slipping out of position by the rattling and vibration of the wagon. The wing nut is prevented from unscrewing and dropping off, by the insertion of a nail 13 in the hole 14 at one or the other side of the notch 10. The nail remains in place by gravity and by engaging one of the wings of the nut 12, turning ofl of the threaded end of the rod 11.

It is to be observed that the horizontal side of the guard, namely, that side which goes under the wagon box, is provided with preferably two apertures 15, through which bolts or other securing means 16, pass to secure the guard. A single aperture 17 is 7 provided in the vertical side 5, ai1d throu h this aperture, a bolt or similar fastening de vice 18 is passed to secure the front side-of" the guard.

- hold the top tual: cooperation and the guardp The clamp rod 1'1 eiitends up the side ofi the wagon and is bent'over at 19.

over 'portiomor hook 19 holds the upper'pa'rt V This bent of the side of the wagon box dow-n. An eye bolt 20 secures the rod 11 to theupper flank,

as clearly shown in-Fig. 2. vThereis-aniubetween the clamp rod 11 The clamp rod serves to 7 flank of the wagon side down in place, but this function can be performed only'bv means of connection ofthe clamp rod Withthe clamp ,head 7 ofthe guard, On

'7 clamp rod silient hardened Fig. 2. The reader will observe at once that flange 22 where the wear occurs,

the other hand, the connection between the anditheliead of the guard, serves to support or hold the guard in place.-

course the fastening means-.16, 18 primarily 7 do this, but should it ever happenthat the bolt 18, forexamplashould becomeloose, it

-isjeasyfto see that then the clamp rod operates to holduthe guard up in place alongside of thewagonbox, taking the place of the bolt, which, is now presumed to beloose. On'e' f feature of importance that should have been stated above, is the provision of the double thicknessof hard metal in the wear occurs. The folds .2, the inwardly d rected refiange 22, clearly shown in guardwhere the 3 and 4 provide this double thickness of flange is, gotten by doubling' lor folding the metalupon itself in the manner stated, so that whilethe rest of the body of the guard is relatively thin, the is thick enough for all practical purposes. I

VVhile the construction and arrangement of the combined guard and side board clamping device, is that of a generally preferred p Means form, obviously modificationsand changes "may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims,

I claim V for preventing the Wearing of a hole in a wagon bon by the turning of a front wheel, comprlsing a guard of hard sheet material, including horizontal and vertical portions enabling application to the edgeof the wagonbox at the'place of wear, Sand a portion bent upon itself and away from the aforesaid portions to provide a resilient extrauthickness at the place of contact of the wheel. 7 s

2'. A guard for wagon boxes, comprising a sheet of hard material, bent toform portions at right angles to eachother for appli-' cation to -the edge ofthe wagon'box and including a portion extending at an angle, of double thickness at the place of contact of the wheel, said guard including an outwardly bent clamp head with a notch and downwardly bent lugs to receive and retain a plo'rtion of an operatively associated clamp roc.

- A wheel guard for .wagon bodies, compi-isinga substantially, square sheet of hard material, bent, diagonally and then upon itself to providea guard ,portion of double thickness, said sheet then being bent at right angles tothe body portion, again at right angles to lie in-a plane parallel to thebody portion, and then down to provide a pair of lugs, saidlugs being formed at the sides of a notch for receiving atively associated clamp rod.

4, In-a farm wagon, a sheet metal guard, comprising a plate. bent diagonally, then upon itself to form a portion of double thickness, and then at right angles to the bodyportion to enable the. application of the guard to the edge of the wagon box, a

clamp head in cluded' in the vertical portion, with a notch and'retaining lug; and a clamp rod applied to the, sideboard of" the wagon, including a threaded portion extending. into said notch, a wing nut applied to said threaded portion to lock the guard and clamp'rod-together, and a member introduced into the clamp head tolie in proximityj to the w ng nut to keep the latter from turning ofli" LEVI 1 ELLS.

the end of an oper- 

